Rules for Knitting with Confidence

1.      Gauge swatches really are important. And not just to use as coasters later….. They also come in handy when you run out of yarn or need yarn for a repair later. Bonus: they are good for checking gauge too!

2.      Mistakes happen! It’s OK. Sometimes it’s good to step away from a project for a time, then go back and determine what the mistake was. Sometimes it’s the knitter, sometimes it’s the pattern, and sometimes it is evil anti-knitting fairies who come mess up your knitting in the night. Hint: it’s usually number 3.

3.      You may not find the mistake until you are wearing the garment. At this point it is always “A part of the design”. Besides…. NO ONE WILL EVER SEE IT. Especially if they are not knitters. Even if they are knitters, chances are they will never notice. If they do, they are your best knitting friend or a complete jerk for pointing it out. Just think about that horrible mohair thing they knit last year and laugh quietly to yourself.

4.      Knit what you love. It’s easy to get caught up in knitting fads and trends. When a particular lace knitting book came out a few years ago I was obsessed along with all of my other knitting friends at the thought of fluffy airy knitted confections to wear with every outfit I owned. I struggled at knitting them only to realize that I HATE KNITTING THEM. This is not fun. You know what is fun? Making color work items with bizarre patterns like skulls and ravens. This is what I like, so this is what I knit. It’s OK not to go along with the crowd. This is a hobby. You’re supposed to like it. If you hate it, it’s just not worth your time.

5.      In keeping with #4, it’s OK to frog a thing you hate! We all have that horrible project lurking in the depths of our stash. The Project Who Shall Not Be Named. It was a great pattern in bad yarn, or a bad pattern in fantastic yarn, or sometimes it’s just something that no one in their right mind would ever love. Like the puke green angora hat that makes you look like a chia pet. Let it go. Rip it out. If you still love the yarn, use it for something else. It’s OK to realize that a project is just not salvageable and it’s time to let go. Life is too short for bad knitting.

6.      It’s just sticks and string. We all have an inner perfectionist who wants us to whip out perfect knitwear with the greatest ease and a minimum of pattern reading. When we do make errors, we tend to be really hard on ourselves. We’ll tell ourselves that we are no good at it, it’s too hard for us, or the world is about to collapse on itself and become some sort of fiery black hole of doom.…   Relax. It’s just sticks and string. You’ll get there. Maybe on your own, maybe with help, maybe perfect, or maybe a little wonky, but you will get there. And won’t you feel smart when you do?

Finally, just a word of advice. I often hear people say, "Oh I'm not a very good knitter, I just knit *Insert item here*". This doesn't make you a bad knitter. It is exactly what MAKES you a knitter. You know who “bad knitters” are? People who don’t knit! Revel in your talent. You are a KNITTER